Secrets (1992 American film)
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''Secrets'', also known as ''Danielle Steel's Secrets'', is a 1992 American made-for-television
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...
directed by
Peter H. Hunt Peter Huls Hunt (December 19, 1938 – April 26, 2020) was an American theatre, film and television director and theatrical lighting designer. Life and career Hunt was born in Pasadena, California, the son of Gertrude (née Orphüls) and Georg ...
. The film is based upon the 1985 novel of the same name written by
Danielle Steel Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel (born August 14, 1947) is an American writer, best known for her romance novels. She is the bestselling author alive and the fourth-bestselling fiction author of all time, with over 800 million ...
. The drama centers on a television producer and his relationship with the star of his latest TV series.The New York Times
/ref>


Plot

The film focuses on the cast and crew of a new TV series called ''Manhattan'', which is shot on location in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Mel Wexler is a successful producer who has become a workaholic since the death of his family in a
plane crash An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...
. Trying to forget his loss, he throws himself on producing ''Manhattan''. For the lead role, he tries to cast the film star Sabina Quarles, who has a reputation of being hard to work with. She initially declines, explaining she is too good for television. However, because of her past with Mel, she finally accepts the role. They soon start a relationship, but he remains suspicious of her constant visits to
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
. She is reluctant to explain why she is going there every month, which makes him think she is having an affair. Meanwhile, playing her stepson in the series is Bill Warwick, an actor who is a
sex symbol A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive. Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor t ...
. He is married to Sandy, but because of his image, he has to keep their marriage a secret. Sandy was once a great actress, but her
drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use oft ...
has turned her into a
street prostitute Street prostitution is a form of sex work in which a sex worker solicits customers from a public place, most commonly a street, while waiting at street corners or walking alongside a street, but also other public places such as parks, benches, e ...
. He thinks a co-starring role could help her to get back on the right path, but she fails to show up at her audition. The role eventually goes to Gaby Smith, a rich actress who graduated from
Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
. Bill is upset that his wife wasn't given the role and as a result, treats Gaby with some disdain. The only colleague supporting her is Jane Adams, who at first hesitated to take the role, because it required her to move from
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
to New York City. Her husband Dan doesn't approve of her acting career and she is therefore a victim of
domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partn ...
. Her teenage daughter Alexa thinks Jane is the cause of the family falling apart and doesn't want to have anything to do with her. While shooting the series, Jane starts a relationship with co-star Zack Taylor, who also bears a dark secret. Three years ago, he spent the night with a girl. It later appeared her mother taped their night and that she was a minor. Since then, she has been blackmailing him for money. Jane feels bad for him and decides to get the video tape by posing as a cop and threatening to sue the girl's mother. It eventually turns out that the girl was already 18 years old. One night, Sandy is in trouble with a drug dealer and calls Bill for help. He realizes she will never be the same and decides to file for divorce. However, the same night she is murdered and Bill becomes the prime suspect. Gaby tries to help him by giving him a false alibi, but that only makes him look more suspicious. Although she caused him more trouble, he apologizes to her for being mean and they eventually start dating. Meanwhile, the crew of ''Manhattan'' decide to shoot a death scene of Bill's character, in case he is found guilty. However, his innocence is eventually proven and he remains on the series. Meanwhile, Jane is at one point held hostage by her ex-husband, because he found out about her relationship with Zack. Alexa, who was currently staying at Jane's, walks in on them and realizes that actually her father was the antagonist. At the end of the film, Sabina admits to Mel that she was once impregnated by a politician and gave birth out of wedlock. The son turned out to be very sick and he required the best doctors, who were only available in San Francisco. When Mel finds out, he proposes to Sabina and invites them both to live with him.


Cast

*
Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...
as Mel Wexler *
Stephanie Beacham Stephanie Beacham (born 28 February 1947) is an English television, film, radio and theatre actress. Although she has a wide number of credits to her name, Beacham is best known for for playing Sable Colby in the ABC soap operas ''The Colbys' ...
as Sabina Quarles *
Linda Purl Linda Purl (born September 2, 1955) is an American actress and singer, known for her roles as Ashley Pfister (Fonzie's girlfriend) on '' Happy Days'' (she originally played Gloria as Richie’s date in season 2 episode 6), Sheila Munroe in the 198 ...
as Jane Adams * Gary Collins as Zack Taylor *
Ben Browder Robert Benedict Browder (born December 11, 1962) is an American actor, writer and film director, known for his roles as John Crichton in ''Farscape'' and Cameron Mitchell in '' Stargate SG-1''. Early life Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Browder ...
as Bill Warwick *
Josie Bissett Jolyn Christine Heutmaker (born October 5, 1970), known professionally as Josie Bissett, is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jane Mancini on the television series ''Melrose Place'' (1992–1999), and for her television film appe ...
as Gabrielle "Gaby" Smith *
John Bennett Perry John Bennett Perry (born January 4, 1941) is an American actor, singer and former model. He is the father of actor Matthew Perry. Life and career Perry was born on January 4, 1941, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the son of businessman, bank dir ...
as Dan Adams *
Nicole Eggert Nicole Elizabeth Eggert (born January 13, 1972) is an American actress. Her notable roles include Jamie Powell on the situation comedy ''Charles in Charge'' and Summer Quinn on the television series ''Baywatch''. She guest-starred in '' The Supe ...
as Alexa Adams *
Brenda Bakke Brenda Jean Bakke (born May 15, 1963) is an American actress and real estate broker. She is best known for her roles in 1990s films ''Hot Shots! Part Deux'', '' Gunmen'', ''Demon Knight'', '' Under Siege 2: Dark Territory'', and '' L.A. Confide ...
as Sandy Warwick


References


External links

* {{Danielle Steel 1992 television films 1992 films 1992 drama films Films about actors Films about film directors and producers Films about filmmaking Films about television Films based on American novels Films set in New York City Films directed by Peter H. Hunt Films scored by Arthur B. Rubinstein NBC Productions films NBC network original films Films based on works by Danielle Steel American drama television films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films